Lovely Ever After
by Myx Nyx
Summary: It would spoil it if I told you. Its romantic and dramatic and funny and cutsy and a tear jerker- you'll love it, just read it!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey all! I know its been ages and ages, and I want to thank everyone who has kept on reading and reviewing. This here is just a little something I've been working on, on and off. But its finally nearing completion, and my beautiful birthday girl fiancée wants it up- and she gets what she wants!**

**So obviously, this is for my lovely on her birthday, wishing her everything the best. **

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"God, I need sex." Catherine sat in Gil's office, her feet up on his desk, while he looked at some mystery files. She had been trying to get his attention for nearly five minutes, but so far she had barely received a grunt of recognition.

At this declaration, however, he looked up, "Excuse me?"

"Sex- I need it." Catherine ran a hand through her hair and tilted her chair back on one leg, "I think my libido is starting to affect my work."

"Really? How so?" Gil asked, curious and unaware of his friend's sarcasm.

"I was joking…kind of. I'm just frustrated."

"Why? How long has it been?"

Catherine blushed.

"Believe me, whatever it is, I've gone longer."

The redhead smiled, "Oh, I don't doubt that."

Gil frowned sternly, "How long?"

Catherine turned her head away and murmured something.

"What was that? Four months?"

Catherine coughed, "Um…four days."

"What?!" Grissom rolled his eyes, "You're complaining about _four days _of depravation? Cath, are you kidding me?"

"No! I'm serious! I'm really itching here, Gil!"

"Cry me a river. Do you know how long I've gone without?"

"Do I want to?"

"Four days…Catherine, people can go without water longer than that."

"Yeah, well, at the moment, I'm equating orgasms with oxygen and nobody makes it four minutes without that."

"So why don't you just call up one of the little buddies we all know you have on call, and take care of it?"

"I would resent that if I thought you meant it with anything but the best intentions."

"Which you know I do."

"Alright then. If you must know, I'm seeing someone. And it's the best sex I've ever had."

"But you haven't had it in four days." Grissom raised an eyebrow.

Catherine knew what he was thinking; Warrick and Sara had left for a conference four days ago. "Right."

"Because…" Gil knew he was fishing.

"Because it's source is otherwise engaged."

"Aha."

Catherine shifted awkwardly; she hadn't intended to go this far with this conversation.

"So, it's the best sex you've ever had? That's got to be saying something."

"I don't like what you're insinuating, dear friend."

"I just meant…"

"I know what you meant, and yes, it is saying something. It's the best everything I've ever had- I think this could be it, Gil."

"Uh-huh." Grissom just looked at her, "So, when are you going to be reconvening the love fest?"

"Uhh…"

Gil raised an eyebrow.

"Tomorrow…"

One raised an eyebrow became two eyebrows through the roof; Warrick and Sara came home the following day.

Catherine faltered; this was rapidly becoming a dangerous situation and she needed to get out of it fast. "Yeah, so, actually, tomorrow's not that far off, is it? Nope. So, there we go, nothing to worry about. Frustration will be remedied very soon." She stood up to go, "Thanks for listening, Gil."

"Catherine." Gil's voice was so low and solid that Catherine froze on the spot and spun to face her supervisor.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking at a spot over his shoulder rather than in his eye.

He sighed and shook his head, "Just let me know if you want to talk."

Catherine tried to look innocent and nodded, "Thanks."

And with that, she quietly left. Gil stared at the spot where she had been standing for several minutes before shaking himself and going back to his work.

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Sara stared at herself in the bathroom mirror at the LAX Airport. She adjusted her shirt and fiddled with her hair. She checked her watch again. This was it. They would board the plane in less than twenty minutes and then it was barely an hour flight home. And then she would see Catherine.

Sara rummaged in her bag and pulled out the black velvet box that had been sitting in the bottom for the last two days, well; except for the times she was alone and pulled it out to look at it every twenty minutes. Opening it, she studied the contents.

It was a ring. The band was simple white gold, but the overabundance of small diamonds and sapphires more than made up for it. They were pear cut, and styled into an ornate blossom, mostly diamonds with the odd shimmering blue stone throughout.

It really wasn't Sara's taste, but it was Catherine's. Sara examined it with fervor, as if staring at it long enough would give her the desired outcome. The ring had cost a small fortune, nearly a year's pay- if she didn't eat. It didn't matter though, it would look perfect on Catherine's slender hand and she deserved it. What else did she have to spend money on anyway?

Sara snapped the box shut and tucked it out of sight. If she worked herself up any further she might not ever even ask Catherine. The brunette shouldered her bag and went back out to wait with Warrick.

Catherine and she had only been dating about two months, and it was going great, beyond great- it was the happiest time in Sara's life, and she thought that it just might be the same way for the redhead.

Of course, no one at work knew about them yet. Sara smiled to herself, _they'll probably flip when the find out._ And why wouldn't they?

Walking into the terminal, she saw Warrick wave her over. "What's up?" she asked.

Warrick pointed to an older couple in front of them, "This is Larry and Bernadette Lansky and their daughter was hurt in a car crash early this morning in Las Vegas, they need to get there right away."

Sara smiled sympathetically at them before turning back to Warrick.

"The flight is overbooked," he explained, "There's another one in an hour and they'll bump us to first class. I just figured…"

"Of course," Sara turned to the couple again, "Let's just talk with the airline agent and get this fixed."

The older woman was overjoyed and looked like she might cry. Inwardly, Sara sighed. It appeared that she wasn't going to be seeing Catherine for a little while longer, but really, what could she do? They arranged everything for the Lansky's to go in their place, and Sara collapsed in an uncomfortable airport chair and sighed. She thought about calling Catherine but decided against it. There was no need to bother her for an hour-long delay. Besides, it wasn't like she was picking her up at the airport. She'd call when she landed.

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**So? I know, a little short and a little boring, but I promise things heat up a bit in the next chapter- but you only get to see that if you, let's all say it together…REVIEW! I'm so glad you remember! Oh and Happy 4****th**** to all my fellow yanks! Not that I don't love and respect the English, but seriously, that is the day we really kicked your asses! :O**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey all! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews- warmed my heart. I was glad to see some familiar faces and a bunch of new ones as well. **

**As per our agreement (you review, I update) here is the dutifully prepared chapter 2. The story earns its drama stripes starting now. Hope you enjoy!**

**Oh, and as always, this update is for my inspiration, the ever-sexy, ever-loving Maggsie!**

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Catherine hummed to herself as she made lunch for herself and Lindsey. She was so happy, she even let Lindsey have white bread on her sandwich and she cut the crusts off. And they were both having chocolate milk to drink. In fact, they were even going to eat in front of the TV.

Sara was coming home today! After practically a whole week apart, she was coming home. Catherine looked at the clock on the microwave; her plane should be landing any minute now. And, she had promised that she was going to take Catherine out to a fancy, romantic restaurant. All Catherine had to do was get a babysitter.

"Linds, baby? Will you come and get napkins and silverware?"

"One second, Mom." Lindsey called, "This plane on the news just blew up over the airport."

Catherine felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as the plate with her salad crashed to the floor, "What?!"

But Lindsey never got a chance to answer because Catherine was already running into the living room and listening to the broadcast. The anchorwoman, Paula Francis's, voice played over an image of an airplane circling for landing. Catherine's breath caught in her throat as she watched it snap in half and then blast into hundreds of pieces as a second explosion occurred within the plane.

Paula Francis was saying, "…following the explosion just over a runway at McCarran International Airport. We received word fifteen minutes ago that this plane, now identified as Pacific Airlines flight 147 out of LAX, had in fact requested emergency engine assistance upon landing some ten minutes before this catastrophe occurred. That being said, officials will not confirm that this was not a terrorist attack. Please stay tuned, we'll return in just a moment with live footage from the crash site."

Catherine's stomach plummeted through the floor. She couldn't take it in. Pacific Airlines flight 147. That had been Sara and Warrick's flight, she was sure of it. She watched the broadcast again. 110 passengers on board, not counting pilots and staff. No survivors. _Why not count pilots and staff? _Catherine thought distantly. _They were people too. With families. With lovers._

When the live feed came on it was to show the debris that had fallen to earth. It was mostly metal, rubber, and miscellaneous engine parts. Everything else was burned beyond recognition, it could be a limb or it could be a rolling suitcase. Unless you were trained to tell the difference, it could be anything.

_I'm trained to tell the difference,_ Catherine told herself hollowly. _I'm trained. I can find out who did this to my angel and my best friend. _At that moment, the phone rang. She didn't even need to look at the caller ID to know who it was.

"Gil?"

"Catherine, have you seen the news?"

The redhead felt tears begin to fill her eyes but she willed them back. "Yeah, I've seen it. Is it true? No survivors?"

"I don't know anything, Catherine. I only know what I've heard. But you know the media…"

"Yeah." Catherine's voice had gone flat. She knew the media, but she also knew the footage that had been on TV, and she knew in her heart that even if someone had survived the explosion, no one could survive that fall.

"Catherine, if you think you can…I'm going to need all hands on deck for this one. They're pulling in all shifts."

Catherine didn't need to think twice, "I'm already on my way." She started to hang up when she heard Grissom's voice again.

"Cath- I don't have to tell you that you're going to have to keep a level head; it's a big scene. I know you and Warrick were…close. We don't know what we're going to find. Are you sure you're up for this?"

Catherine found herself laughing bitterly even as hot streams rushed over her cheeks. "Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"Never ask me that again." And with that, she hung up and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Lindsey," she called to the other room, "go get your bag ready to go to Aunt Nancy's."

"Why?" the girl asked, coming into the kitchen, "I thought I wasn't going until later. What's wrong, Mom?"

Catherine tried to smile at her daughter, but she found she couldn't. Instead, she put her arms around the shorter blonde and pulled her down to the floor where she crushed her in a hug. Cursing herself for worrying her daughter, but not being able to help it, Catherine began to sob. Lindsey pulled her mom tighter and rubbed her back. After several minutes, Catherine's breathing seemed to settle down a bit.

"Mom?"

The redhead pulled out of her daughter's embrace and sniffed, "I'm okay, sweetie."

"What's wrong?"

"Uh…" Catherine knew she had to tell her daughter, but it was as if actually saying it would make it true. If she told Lindsey, it meant that Sara really was never going to walk through her front door ever again. _I'll just tell her they might have been on the plane._ "The plane that crashed?"

Lindsey nodded.

"Well, that plane might be the one Sara and Warrick were supposed to take home. And I'm…" Catherine began to tear again, "I'm just really scared that something has happened to them."

"Have you called them?"

"Huh?"

"Have you called them? You could call them and see if they're okay."

"Oh, no, sweetie. I haven't called them yet. But that's a good idea. Look, honey, I need to take you to Nancy's now so that I can go to the crash site and see if I can find out what happened."

"Do you think it was a terrorist?"

"I don't know, that's what I have to go find out."

"Okay, I'll get my stuff. And Mommy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"I'm sure Sara's okay."

Catherine bit back a cry, "I sure hope you're right, baby."

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"Damn it!" Sara cursed.

"What's up?" Warrick put down the sports section.

"My phone is dead."

"The battery?"

"No, traumatic asphyxia!" Sara said testily, "Yes, the goddamn battery."

She had a right to be upset. The airline had delayed their flight another two hours even though she could clearly see the plane at the gate, ready to go. She had complained to the gate agent several times and nothing seemed to be happening.

"Why didn't you charge it before we left the hotel?" Warrick seemed to be deliberately trying to annoy her.

She looked at him, "I had two bars when we left; more than fifty percent power. I figured that that would be enough to get me home. And if we had taken off _on time _we would be home by now."

"Well…I'd lend you mine, but…"

"But you left it at the hotel and they are mailing it to Vegas, yeah I know. I let you make the call on my phone remember? Probably used up all the battery." The last part she added mostly to herself but Warrick still heard it.

If Sara wanted to be hot tempered, that was cool. He smirked, "Who you want to call so bad, anyhow?"

Sara looked up abruptly, "No one."

Warrick sat up a little straighter, eyes alight, "Oh, it's on now."

"What's on?"

"Who were you trying to call?"

Sara saw that gleam in his eye and sat back, "No one. None of your business."

The tall man grinned, "See now, those are two different answers. I think I've just figured out a way to pass the time."

"You know," Sara began but was interrupted by an announcement over the PA system.

"Attention all Pacific Airlines patrons. All Pacific Airlines flights have been grounded until further notice. If you wish to refund your ticket or be compensated for your expense at a later date, you will need to do so via our toll free number 1-800-FLY-P-AIR. On behalf of all of us here at Pacific Airlines we'd like to thank you for your cooperation and hope that this inconvenience will not deter you from flying with us again."

"Oh, come on!" Warrick protested, "This is bullshit."

"Wait, Warrick!" Sara kept a level head, "Think about it. They're only grounding PA flights, right?"

"Yeah," said Warrick, calming down, "There had to have been some kind of malfunction on one of the planes. That's the only reason to ground an entire fleet, except maybe a bomb threat or something."

"No, they would evacuate the terminal if it was a bomb threat."

"Alright, so we take a different airline. They said we'll get our money back from these tickets when we call 'em."

"Right." Sara shouldered her bag and pushed her way through the crowd to the gate agent, "Excuse me, Miss? What other airlines are flying to McCarran International right now?"

The girl looked up and gave her a plastic smile, "I'm sorry, ma'am. But McCarran airport is not currently accepting any arrivals."

"What? Why the hell not?"

"I'm afraid I've been instructed not to reveal any details at this time."

Sara stared at her.

"Thank you, ma'am and I hope you have a pleasant journey."

"Sure you do."

Sara turned away in disgust and shook her head at Warrick. "No planes are getting in on the Las Vegas end."

"Hmm. That can't be coincidence."

"What are you thinking? You think that the plane we were supposed to…Oh, my God."

Warrick nodded, "Yeah, I know. I guess it could just been an emergency landing or something."

"So they closed the whole airport? I don't think so. Man, that's got to be one huge crime scene. Think of all the engine parts and the rebuilding…" Sara's eyes glazed over.

Warrick hit her on the shoulder, "You're drooling," he laughed.

Sara rolled her eyes at him. "You have to admit, you're sad you're missing it."

"Sara, a ton of people just died."

"True. And that's sad. But think of the computer simulations that Archie's running and," she trailed off as Warrick grabbed her arm, "Where are we going?"

"Bus depot. If we can't fly, we have to drive."

"But that's got to be at least seven hours," Sara whined. She was realizing that her chances of proposing to Catherine tonight were not looking good.

"You have a better idea?"

"Okay, point taken."

At the bus depot, they found out that many other people had had the same idea they'd had, and they'd had it a lot sooner. So it was going to be three hours until they even got on a bus, and as Sara predicted, at least another seven until they got home. It would put them in Las Vegas at around five in the morning.

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**Come on, now how good was that? Admit it, you are amazed and dazzled by umm…me! Alright! Go forth my readers and review! You never know what the next chapter might bring!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Have I told you lately that I love you? Well, not all of you. Just some of you. More like a couple. Okay, one of you, really…hmm…where was I going with this? Oh, yeah! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!! Though they may not win my undying love, they really do make my day and move you high up on my cool-person-o-meter. So, without further inconvenience, I give you…CHAPTER…3!!!! Enjoy!**

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Catherine rubbed her eyes tiredly before focusing once again on the mess of engine parts before her.

Nick was at the crash site with two day shifters supervising the cadets on evidence collection. Grissom had taken it upon himself to recreate the cabin with a few others, volunteer police officers and detectives. Greg was acting as liaison between the techs and their counterparts in the field, ferrying evidence and keeping everyone updated. If it weren't for the fact that two of his close friends were currently MIA, he would have been overjoyed to feel so included. As it was, a dark cloud hung over all of LVPD that night. It was getting on towards midnight and no one had taken a break.

After being on the tarmac for over an hour and sorting through the wreckage, worrying that at any moment she would come across Sara's lifeless form, Ecklie finally sent Catherine back to the lab to do something that was a little more hands-off. So here she was trying to piece the engine back together to see which came first, the chicken or the egg. Did the engine blow sending the plane to the ground? Or did something else go wrong and then the engine blew?

Truthfully, Catherine didn't care. What did it matter? There was no justice here. She wished Sara were here. If it were the two of them here covered in ash and oil, they would be putting it together like a puzzle and every time they figured out something she would get to see that golden smile. Or they would stop for coffee and walk through the lab in their coveralls, and when they got to the break room, Sara would try to wipe a smudge off her cheek. But her hands would be dirty and she would only make it worse. And at the end of shift they could go home and shower together and make love.

But that wasn't going to happen. Sara wasn't coming home. Catherine fought back tears for the umpteenth time that night. Sara wasn't coming home. They had spoken on the phone less than twelve hours ago. She smiled weakly as she thought of their last words to each other.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey, hon.…it's me." _Catherine smirked at the other woman's hesitance.

"_I kind of figured. What's up, sweetie? You're still coming back today, right?"_

"_Yeah, I am. That's actually why I'm calling."_

"_Oh?" _Catherine's smile widened; Sara was so cute when she was nervous.

"_Yeah, I…uh, I wanted to tell you to get a babysitter for Linds."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yep." _Catherine could hear the grin in the other woman's voice. "_I'm taking my honey out on the town tonight!"_

Catherine giggled, "_Really? What should I wear?"_

"_Something gorgeous and on you that would mean…anything."_

"_The only thing that looks gorgeous on me is you."_

Sara laughed, "_Yes, well, where we're going I think we'd get kicked out for that. Where a dress. A short one. A short, sleeveless, backless, turquoise one that hugs you like a second skin, has a plunging neckline, and a slit up one side."_

"_I only have one of those, baby."_

"_Okay," _Sara chuckled, "_so, wear that one. It's my favorite."_

Catherine laughed.

"_What? You asked!"_

"_Hmm." _Catherine hummed huskily, "_So I did. And I suppose you want my hair down, falling over my shoulders. And really, with such a small dress, any panties at all would leave lines, don't you think?"_

The brunette coughed, "_Uh…yeah…underwear…complete waste of time, definitely…"_

"_Alright, baby, so I'll get a babysitter and I'll see you in a few hours right?"_

"_Definitely. Oh, and Cath?"_ Sara sounded nervous again.

"_Yeah?"_

"_I love you."_

The redhead smiled. Not that she had to think about her answer, "_I love you too, Sara. So much."_

There was a sigh of relief audible on the other end. "_I'll see you soon?"_

"_I'll be waiting."_

Catherine was brought back to reality by the sound of her cell phone going off. "Uh, Willows."

"Catherine. Nick. Meet me in the break room in ten minutes. Find Greg if you can."

"Grissom?"

"Still at the scene. Ten minutes."

Still at the scene. The scene. That's how she had to keep thinking of it. Just another scene. As she hung up, Catherine put her forehead against the cool of the glass wall. She just had to keep going.

"So, what do you got?" she asked, walking into the break room with Greg on her heels.

"I…" Nick looked apologetically at Catherine. "I've got the passenger manifest. There's good news and bad news." He hesitated.

"Just give it to me, Nick."

"Okay. The bad news is that according to this, Warrick and Sara were on the flight."

Greg frowned. "What's the good news?"

"This," Nick held up the paper, "is not the official manifest. This is just who was on the flight as of yesterday night. The list of who actually got on the plane is stuck somewhere in the airline's computer system. They're still trying to locate it. So, you know, maybe there's a chance…"

Catherine shook her head. "She would have called," she muttered to herself.

"What?"

"I said, they would have called. They would have heard about the crash and they would have called." She sighed. "They were on the plane. Let's just get back to work." Miserable, but determined, Catherine turned away.

_Maybe they didn't get on the plane._ A small voice said in her mind. _But then why hasn't she called?_ She had to be sure. She checked her phone again. No messages. Wearily, she began punching in the familiar numbers. One ring. Two. Voicemail. She sighed. What had she expected? Had she really expected to hear Sara's voice on the other end? That phone was probably scattered in a million pieces on the McCarran tarmac. She checked her watch. Just a few more hours until this day was over and she could go home and curl up with her daughter.

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Sara's stomach churned as they hit the millionth rut in the road. Weren't there regulations about the upkeep of interstate highways? "I hate buses," she muttered, her head pressed against the seat in front of her.

"Let's take your mind off it," Warrick suggested.

Sara turned her neck to raise an eyebrow at the man beside her. "How?"

"You could tell me who it is you've been trying to phone all night…"

"Forget it."

"Come on, Sar. You've borrowed six phones to try and get service, its obviously someone really important to you."

"What's you're point?" She looked out the window, did she want to share this with anyone? Truth be told, she had wanted to tell their friends for ages now. But she and Catherine had agreed that it would complicate something that was already complicated enough.

"That if someone is that important to you, then they are important to me too."

Sara sighed and sat up, "Its Catherine."

Warrick nodded dumbly for a moment before he did a double take, his eyes wide. "_Catherine?_"

"Yep."

He cleared his throat. "And I'm guessing you weren't just calling to talk about work…"

"That would be correct."

"So you and her…" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yep."

He blinked, staring straight ahead. "Wow. I did not see that coming. Catherine? Really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, no, not at all," he said hurriedly. And then, after a moment, "Well, yeah…yeah, it kind of is. I mean, I know you guys don't catfight like you used to, but…wow."

Sara snorted. "Wow? That's articulate."

"How long?"

"About two months."

"Two months? And you never told us?"

Sara flushed guiltily. "We were going to, but we wanted to make sure we had a future together before we made an announcement."

"And do you?"

Sara grinned to herself and Warrick chuckled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Sara nodded and then, unable to it keep to herself any longer, she reached into her bag and pulled out the box, offering it to the man beside her.

Warrick took it, his eyes widening when he saw its contents before he put a hand to his chest dramatically, "Sara, this is so unexpected. I always dreamed it would happen! I accept!"

Sara snatched the box back and gave him a mock glare.

He laughed, "That is a gorgeous ring, Sar. Is that where you disappeared to two days ago? When I tried to get you to go to that computer digitizing thing?"

Sara nodded, grinning."

Warrick clapped his hands together once, jumping up in his seat. "This is just great! And nobody else knows?"

Sara shook her head, "Just Lindsey and Cath's mom and sister."

"But I'm the first to know at work?"

"Yep."

He beamed. "Oh, this is going to kill Nick! He'll just hate that I knew first. And I can't wait to see Greg's face- hell, I can't wait to see Grissom's face, ha! This is just fantastic!" He looked over at Sara, "I'm really happy for you, both of you. The more I think about it, the more I see how perfect you are for each other."

"So you're not surprised about either of us being with another woman?" Sara seemed skeptical. Could it really be as simple as that?

Warrick waved a hand, "Nah. I knew Cath had been with women before, she told me years ago. Not really a big surprise."

"And me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

Sara frowned, confused.

"Girl," he drawled, "It really isn't all that hard to figured out." He tried to put it gingerly.

"Why?"

He sighed, "Sara, you look gay."

She bristled. "I do not. You can't 'look' gay."

"You can and you do. Its not a bad thing, but it is a true thing."

Sara looked down, "Is it my clothes?"

"Its not really any one thing in particular its kind of like the combination of everything topped with this attitude you give off."

Sara furrowed her brow. This was something to think about.

"So how are you going to ask her?"

"Well, we had reservations at her favorite restaurant for tonight, but obviously that's been blown out of the water. I had it all planned out- I had a private room set up, birds of paradise- her favorite flower, all over the place. Music. Special menu. This whole speech about how much I love her and Lindsey. Now I have no idea."

Warrick looked thoughtful. "You know what? You should just ask her."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think you need to dress it up so much. I mean, the big gesture is sweet, but there's something nice about seizing the moment."

"You think?  
Warrick nodded.

"So I should just ask her?"

"I think that ring speaks for itself."

Sara smiled, "I think that's actually a better idea. I was so stressed out about making that speech."

"Yeah, and this way you can just say whatever is in your heart."

Sara nodded her agreement.

They fell silent for a moment before Warrick sat up straight, "Oh my god, you need to call her!"

Sara rolled her eyes, "You think? What do you think I've been trying to do the last three hours? I've tried, we're in the middle of the desert- there's no service."

Warrick settled back in his chair, "Guess we'll have to wait until we get closer to civilization. So how did you guys hook up?"

Sara sat back as well, resigning herself to a long, bumpy ride. "Well…"

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**What do you think? Any guesses as to how its going to end? I'll tell you. See secretly, Catherine and Sara are international super assassins, and they have been hired to kill Ecklie and they will do it using only peanut butter, a pickle, and some dental floss! No seriously, tell me what you think and how you think it should end, and do it by method of, you guessed it, REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

12/07/2009 03:37:00

**A/N: Okay, so final chapter up! Once again, thank you for all the fantastic reviews! You guys are too good to me and I only half way deserve it. ;) Anyway, I hope you like it and I hope it makes you smile.**

**This is, of course, dedicated to my lovely ever after, who always get me through the day. A million kisses to you, angel!**

**Okay, read on!**

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Catherine shrugged into her denim jacket then grabbed her purse before slamming her locker shut. She didn't care that they still had a half hour left of shift. She had finished her assignment, and she needed this day to be over.

"Mom!"

The red-haired woman turned to the door just as Lindsey catapulted into her arms. Her eyes locked with her sister's over the girl's shoulder, searching for an explanation.

"I thought you might need a bit of cheering up, so we came to you."

Catherine nodded her appreciation.

Lindsey leaned back, "Were Sara and Warrick on that plane, Mommy?"

The tears caught in her throat once more as the now familiar pain in her chest wracked through her body. Nancy waved her goodbye, "I'll leave you two to it."

Catherine set her daughter down and took her hand, "Let's go to my office, baby."

When they had closed the door and taken seats on the sofa, Catherine brushed a stray lock behind Lindsey's ear.

"They were on the plane, weren't they?" The girl wiped at her eyes with one hand.

Catherine nodded, her eyes beginning to sting. "Yeah, they were, sweetie. I'm so, so sorry."

Catherine thought back to two months ago, to the first time the three of them went out together. Sara had looked like a cornered cat and Lindsey hadn't been much better. She had tried to encourage them to get to know each other; it had been the first big test in their relationship.

"_Linds? Why don't you tell Sara about the play."_

_There was a painful sigh. "Every year," she droned, "my school puts on a play."_

"_Come on, Linds, tell her all of it."_

_Shoulders sagged. "This year, its Bye-Bye Birdie."_

_Sara bobbed her head. "My high school did that when I was a little older than you."_

"_Really? Well, usually only eighth graders get lead parts. But me and a bunch of my friends tried out anyway."_

"_That was brave."_

"_I guess. They were looking for girls that can sing and dance. And I've been taking ballet and jazz classes since I was four. I never did singing lessons, but I like to sing."_

"_So, you got a part?"_

"_Yeah, I got the part of Kim."_

"_Isn't that like…the lead?"_

"_Yeah," Lindsey breathed, somewhat less than ecstatic._

"_And that's bad?"_

"_Well, I'm excited about it, but none of my friends got a part. And now they are all mad at me. Katie Hamm is my best friend and she won't even talk to me anymore. And Jessica Alvarez told the entire school I'm a showoff."_

"_Well, screw them." _

"_Sara!"_

_The brunette's eyes grew wide and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I mean, umm…"_

_Lindsey doubled over in laughter._

"_What Sara meant to say is that you shouldn't worry so much about what other people think. Don't be afraid to be an individual. Right?"_

"_Oh, yeah, that's exactly what I meant."_

"_Mom, seriously: Chill. Out. So Sara," Lindsey took the woman's hand, "will you come see me in my play?"_

_Sara, taken off guard, looked to the girl's mother. Seeing her victorious grin, the younger woman relaxed. "Sure, that would be great. That would be really great."_

When Catherine came out of her daze, she wiped away tears she hadn't known were running down her cheeks. Her arms were heavy with the dead weight of her sleeping daughter. She wished she could carry her to the car the way she had when she was little, just let her sleep away the trials of the day.

"Linds," she shook the girl's shoulder lightly, but she didn't stir. "Lindsey, wake up, baby. Time to go home."

Bleary blue eyes looked up from a tear-stained face. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Sara and Warrick knew they were going to die?"

Catherine took a ragged breath. "I don't know, sweetie. I'm guessing it all happened really fast."

"Is that what the evidence said?"

Catherine nodded. "They probably never saw it coming."

"Oh."

Catherine stood up and offered a hand to her daughter who took it and pulled herself up.

"Can I please miss school today, Mom? I don't feel like explaining to everyone why I'm so sad."

"Sure, baby. Why don't we curl up in bed with some hot chocolate and have a quiet day?"

"That's a good idea." The girl nodded.

As the mother and daughter turned into the reception area, a voice called out, "Hey, Catherine."

Catherine turned around. There was Nick, looking lost and exhausted and behind him, Greg and Grissom with equally weary expressions. "Hey," she said, without much conviction.

Nick looked from Lindsey to her mother. "Look, Cath. The three of us were going to drive up to McCarran for one last search in the wreckage. Do you want to ride along?"

Catherine smiled, tight-lipped. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I've had all I can manage, I'm just going to take Lindsey home and lay low for the day."

The men nodded their understanding.

"Listen, Catherine, you know if you need anything," Greg began, but the woman held up a hand.

"I know who to call. Thanks, guys. We should go, and if you want to beat morning rush hour, you need to head out too."

Catherine headed towards the main doors and the rising dawn, one hand in her daughter's, the other clutching her bag. Her eyes were downcast. She could hear the footsteps of the three men behind her and she didn't want them to see the despair on her face that would undoubtedly bring words of pity and meaningless reassurance raining down. She didn't want that, she didn't want anything. What she wanted was nothing. She didn't want to feel or think, she wanted it to go numb. How was it possible to feel so empty inside and still have so much pain in her heart that it threatened to burst?

Suddenly she felt a sharp tug on her arm. She turned to see her daughter stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared off into the distance. "Sara," she whispered.

"I know, baby, its hard to take in, but we just have to-"

"No, Mom," the girl said, extending her arm and pointing, "_Sara."_

Her heart thudded in her chest. "Sara?" she questioned, turning. At the far side of the lot a tall brunette was getting out of a taxi cab, a backpack over one shoulder. _It couldn't be...could it?_

"SARA!" Lindsey cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled.

The brunette looked up from where she was bent, paying the driver, and waved a hand at Lindsey, a wide grin on her face.

"Sara…" Catherine gasped for air as the flood of relief hit her senses like a stampede of wild horses. And then she had dropped her bag and her daughter's hand and she was running. "SARA!"

Grissom, Greg, and Nick stopped abruptly, all thinking the exact same thought. _Sara?_

Catherine kicked her sandals off and ran faster, speeding up as she approached the younger woman, rather than slowing down. Realizing this, Sara had just enough time to drop her pack before she had two arms full of Catherine. The redhead threw her arms around Sara's neck and leapt up, wrapping her legs around the taller woman's torso.

Sara couldn't stop grinning. She knew the whole team was watching and she just didn't care. She circled her arms around the other woman, holding on tight.

For her part, Catherine was a royal mess, she could barely speak, "You're alive," she gasped, tears filling her eyes, "oh, thank God, you're alive." She hugged Sara's neck, and then caressed her face with one hand, laughing and crying at the same time. She brushed a stray hair out of her face and then leant in close. But when her lips were just centimeters from her lover's, she sat back.

"Wait a minute," her eyes narrowed. She released her hold on the brunette, and as soon as her feet touched the ground she took a step back. "You're _alive_?" Her arms were crossed in front of her, her jaw was set, and her tone had a definite edge.

Sara gulped. "Uh…"

"How can you _possibly_ be alive?"

"About that, see-"

"No, I don't think you understand- you cannot be alive. _Can. Not._ So, unless you have been resurrected recently, Sidle, you are going to explain here and now why I have been sifting through plane wreckage all night, searching for your corpse!" Sara had never seen Catherine so irate. Ever.

She put her hands up in surrender. "Honey, don't be mad." She spoke in the tone of voice used on cornered animals. "Warrick and I changed our flight. After the crash at McCarran, our flight was canceled, so we took the bus all night to get here."

"Right. So you did know about the crash?" Catherine tilted her head, disbelieving. Her cheeks were flushed with the anger threatening to boil over.

"Uh…yeah."

"And you knew I'd be on the case and you _knew_ we'd probably assume you were on the plane." Catherine's voice was deadly calm.

Sara bit her lip. "That would be…correct."

"Do you see what is wrong with this picture? Because unless I'm mistaken, I am your _girlfriend._" Catherine spoke slowly, like she was explaining something complicated to a small child. "So, we should be on same page about most things. Even the little things like WHETHER YOU'RE ALIVE OR NOT! That may not seem like a big deal to you, but it ranks pretty high up there for me!"

"Baby," Sara began, but she was cut off by a waving finger.

"No, do not 'baby' me! You don't get to be the nice, responsible girlfriend here. Of the two of us, which one spent the night thinking the other was scattered in pieces on a cement runway? Oh, yeah! That would be ME! Is it that hard to pick up phone, Sara?" This last sentence came out as more of a plea than anything else.

"I tried! My cell died and Warrick left his in the hotel and there is absolutely no service in the desert- you don't know how many phones I borrowed. The first time we got coverage was in Reno, and that was only an hour away, so Warrick said we should just show up at the lab, since it was the kind of news that was better in person anyway."

Catherine closed her eyes and tried to breathe evenly. "Sara, there are at least ten stops on the bus route between LA and Vegas. Were all the payphones broken too?"

Sara froze. _Shit. How could I…? _She smiled nervously. "Uh…oops?"

Catherine put her face in her hands, trying to regain control as the events of the evening came rushing back full force. "I thought you were dead." Her voice was not much above a whisper.

Sara took a hesitant step toward the older woman. "I know, baby, I'm so sorry."

"You don't seem to get it- I thought you were _dead_! No goodbye, no warning, just taken away from me." Her eyes began to fill as her voice got caught in her throat. "I was so scared, Sara. I thought you were gone forever and all I could think about was everything we didn't do, everything we didn't say. I felt so lost without you. You weren't there, you were dead, and I…I…" Her voice betrayed her and she began to sob and hiccup.

Sara reached into her back pocket and produced a very nearly clean napkin. With it she dried her lover's tears, then returned it to her pocket and wrapped her arms around a now defenseless Catherine who continued to cry into her shoulder. "Shh," she comforted, "its okay. It's over and I'm right here."

After a moment, Catherine looked up with liquid eyes, "I needed you," she whispered, "and you weren't there. I've never needed anyone like that. I just wanted to be in your arms one more time, hear your voice. I love you, Sara. I always will."

Sara beamed a wide and sparkling smile. "I love you too." She brought the other woman's lips to hers and kissed her fiercely. "And I always will."

Catherine pulled herself flush against the taller woman, but frowned when her hip bone collided with something hard in the region of Sara's front pants pocket. Her eyes went wide, "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"Hmm?" Sara looked down. Realizing what Catherine was referring to, Sara was hit with a sudden and brilliant idea. Warrick had said to seize the moment, hadn't he? She stepped back and reached into her pocket. She offered the velvet box to Catherine.

The older woman smiled and took it, expecting to see earrings or a pendant, she gasped when she flipped the top open.

"Not unless you think its an engagement ring."

Catherine's head snapped up. "En…gagement?" she spluttered over the word.

Sara nodded, stepping closer to the other woman.

"I know its only been two months, and for most people that isn't a lot of time. But for us…Cath, I love you, and I don't want waste another day without you. I wake up every morning wanting to spend the rest of my life with you and I was sort of hoping you felt the same." Losing her nerve, her eyes met with pavement. "If its too soon, I understand, but I just wanted you to know that that's where I am."

Catherine tilted Sara's head up and searched her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Have I ever done something without weighing all the benefits and consequences?"

Catherine smiled, "Not as far as I know."

The smile eased Sara's fears. "So will you, Catherine? Will you marry me?"

For the first time in many years, Catherine Willows _giggled._ And then she nodded. "Yes. Absolutely." As the last syllable left her lips, they were met with Sara's urgent, passionate kiss. As the lip lock continued, Sara deftly slid the ring onto her _fiancee's_ finger, then brought her hands to that same _fiancee's_ face.

After a minute, a young voice offered, "Um…not to break up the party here, but I just wanted to remind you that you are making out in a very public place. Really, I don't care, I've seen you swapping spit like a thousand times and I don't think one more will kill me. But I think these guys are a bit umm…surprised."

Sara and Catherine broke apart, only just remembering they had an audience. When they turned, they both had to hide their laughter. Warrick off to one side was grinning broadly, but it was the other three team members with equal expressions of shock and disbelief that drew laughter from the women.

Nick tried to make sense of it first. "So…you two…you with her and the two of you together and…really?"

"Really, really." Sara smiled.

Grissom shook his head, "Wait, I'm confused. So…you're not dating Warrick? Because you are in fact dating…Sara?"

"Your powers of deduction amaze me," Catherine smirked, "but in case you missed it, we're not dating; we're engaged." She flashed the evidential ring.

"Whoa, whoa, time out." Greg held out his arms as if to physically slow down the conversation. "Catherine's _gay?_" He looked around. "Did anyone else see that coming?"

Catherine stood on her tiptoes and whispered in Sara's ear. The brunette nodded and spoke. "Would anyone like discuss this over breakfast?"

Several heads bobbed.

"Great. So lets meet at the diner in half an hour? Our treat?"

The heads nodded again.

"Good, see you then." Sara shouldered her bag and then each woman took hold of one of Lindsey's hands and began heading towards Catherine's car.

"Why do we need a half hour?" The girl wanted to know. "The diner is like a block away, isn't it?

"Yes," Sara said, "But your school is 'like' five miles away."

"School? What? Wait, Mom, you said I didn't have to go!" Lindsey dug her heels in.

"That's when we thought Sara was dead. But now she's not and you are going to school."

"Yeah, but I'm still totally traumatized. This could give me long term psychological damage."

"So would us making out in front of the buses when school gets out so all your friends can see, now come on."

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't we?"

"Okay, geez, I'm going!" The blonde girl ran ahead of the two women, racing for the car.

The two women walked shoulder to shoulder, grinning, when something occured to the brunette. "Hey, Cath?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Why is no one surprised that I'm gay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like Greg was surprised that you would be into women, but not surprised about me."

Catherine took her betrothed's hand and kissed it. "Face it, Sar. You just…look gay."

Sara sighed dramatically. "What does that _mean_?"

"I don't know, its just this sort of attitude you give off."

"You know what? Forget I even asked."

As they got in the car and drove off into the sunrise, they had a single moment of serenity and happiness. Joining hands, the music mirroring the colors of the sky, it was absolutely perfect until the dulcet tones of reality hit them.

"What is this violin crap we're listening to?"

"Watch your mouth, Lindsey."

"You're not my mom yet, Sara."

"Don't talk back to Sara."

"Yeah, don't talk back to me!"

"Sara, please act your age."

"She started it!"

"I don't care who started it, you're the adult."

Lindsey snickered.

Sara turned around in her seat and stuck her tongue out at the girl.

The small blonde rolled her eyes. "Do I really have to go to school?"

"Yes, you do."

"Oh, Cath, remind me to pick up some milk before I head home."

"I thought maybe you'd stay over tonight?"

"Yeah! Slumber party!"

"Linds, you will be staying with Nana or Aunt Nancy, this is a grown up kind of slumber party."

Silence. And then, "Eww." She made a gagging sound. "I am so totally scarred for life."

The two women laughed, staring into each other's eyes for a brief second. This was their life, their story, and no matter what came their way, they would handle it together. And live. Lovely. Ever. After.

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**Well? What do you think? Did it make you smile? Because if it did, you should feel obligated to review. After all, who wouldn't want to review such a wonderful story? Hey, I'm just being honest. Besides, my lady love likes it and obviously she has great taste ;) so it has to be good. **

**Okay, so that's all for now, folks, thank you so much for reading, and make sure to keep an eye out for my upcoming work! **


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